James Baldwin, Aug 2: Sonny & Jimmy's Blues

It's all connected. I have always thought so. Even when I didn't want to believe it & I thought I was losing my mind. Even when I couldn't listen to one more thought & my best idea was my worst idea. I couldn't trust what was happening. How could I? I was not smart enough or strong enough to hear the truth. It takes a world of effort to believe oneself. It takes every bit of courage one might have to follow the ghosts & souls of the past. The haunted words that appear in books & songs: Believe Them. "Don't be afraid" - That is what they are saying. If you feel apart or crazy or alone or different or hopeless or crazy...Good! What else could one feel in the face of complete madness? That is the "correct" feeling. The one that says, "Listen, Cry, Scream, Sing!" Stagger Lee, John Henry, Henry & Mr. Bones, Robinson - They might have dropped dead but, BOOM, they beat it.